Question Summary:
Marriage to a Non Muslim

Question Detail:

Asalamou alikoum, 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Your question is not clear. However, we wish to advise you that a muslim man can marry only a Christian or Jewish woman from non-muslim women. It is not permissible to marry any other non-muslim women. Furthermore, when marrying a Christian or Jewish woman, one’s Imaan must not be threatened. If one fears he will lose his Imaan or weaken his Imaan by marrying a Jewish or Christian woman, it will then not be permissible to marry such a woman.

You state “we will be just the two of us and witnesses from the marriage organisation service provider”. Explain the procedure of the marriage. Will the witnesses be muslim?

The procedure of a valid nikaah is: إيجاب وقبول  (ijaab and qabool) which is a proposal from one party and acceptance from the other. For example, the man says “I have taken you into my marriage” and the woman replies “I have accepted”. This process should take place in the presence of two adult Muslim witnesses.^[i]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muhammad Yusuf bin Moulana Abdur Rahim Khan

Student Darul Iftaa
Chatsworth, Durban, KZN, South Africa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

_______

^[i]البحر الرائق - ث (3/ 87)

وَيَنْعَقِدُ بِإِيجَابٍ وَقَبُولٍ وُضِعَا لِلْمُضِيِّ أو أَحَدِهِمَا ) أَيْ يَنْعَقِدُ النِّكَاحُ أَيْ ذلك الْعَقْدُ الْخَاصُّ يَنْعَقِدُ بِالْإِيجَابِ وَالْقَبُولِ

كنز الدقائق (ص: 251)

وينعقد بإيجابٍ وقبولٍ وضعا للماضي أو أحدهما

وإنّما يصحّ بلفظ النّكاح والتّزويج ما وضع لتمليك العين في الحال

عند حرّين أو حرٍّ وحرّتين عاقلين بالغين مسلمين، ولو فاسقين أو محدودين أو أعميين أو ابني العاقدين

وصحّ تزويج مسلمٍ ذمّيّةً عند ذمّيّين